In 2021, a woman caused a ruckus on board an American Airlines flight. It was apparently so bad that the pilot had to divert the plane to Arizona.
Today, as reported by several news outlets, a US district judge handed down a sentence to the defendant, Kelly Pichardo of New York.
Insider reports that the judge sentenced Kelly Pichardo “to four months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. She must also pay $9,123 in restitution to American Airlines after she previously pleaded guilty to interfering with flight crew members.”
The American Airlines flight was on its way to Los Angeles from Dallas when the altercation broke out.
According to NBC News, “Pichardo and another woman in first class assaulted a passenger during the flight and used racial slurs when a male passenger asked them to stop. Pichardo also allegedly spit at the man when he tried to record the altercation.”
Authorities charged both women with “verbally and physically assaulting other customers and flight crew members.”
Pichardo’s attorneys suggested 60 months of probation. They also asked if she could do home detention instead of prison for four months, but the court refused. The attorneys claimed their client had several mental illnesses.
The other passenger, Leeza Rodriguez, faces sentencing in November.
American Airlines added both Pichardo and Rodriguez to their “internal refuse list.” This differs from the no-fly list, which is federal.